


The Cat incident

by Bard_the_Bowman



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Cat, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Walk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-22
Updated: 2016-12-22
Packaged: 2018-09-11 05:26:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8955988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bard_the_Bowman/pseuds/Bard_the_Bowman
Summary: This was not supposed to happen to an animagus.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Hopefullyrees](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hopefullyrees/gifts).



"I'm just going out for a walk, Mum." Called Peter, as he opened the door.

"Be back by six." Replied his mother."

"Okay. Bye!" Peter shut the door behind him and set off down the path.

It was a sunny day in the summer holidays and Peter was home from Hogwarts. His family lived in a small cottage in a hamlet in the countryside, and walking across the fields was a great way to pass the time.

Peter went through a gate at the edge of a field and up a path towards a small church. There were butterflies around and as he approached the kissing gate at the edge of the graveyard he could hear birds tweeting.

"Oh, dammit." He cursed to himself as he looked at the rather large cowpat right in front of the gate he wanted to go through. "Well it gives me a chance to practice my animagus skills."

Checking to make sure nobody was around, he concentrated for a moment shrunk down until a large grey rat sat in the grass. Starting forwards he ran under the hedge- and promptly got pounced on by a cat.

Peter was frozen in terror. Too panicked to transform back, he lay in the jaws of this great fluffy feline. Long whiskers tickled his tail and the cat proudly carried him in her teeth, trotting towards the neighbouring village. 

Not knowing what to do, Peter twisted slightly, and immediately regretted it. The cat tightened her jaws and Peter felt a tooth pierce his side. He squeaked in pain and the cat sped up, running back with her prize. A minute later they were going through a cat flap and up some stairs.

"Hello, Belle." A girl said, sitting on a chair at her desk as the cat walked in. 

Belle dropped Peter and meowed. 

The girl looked, and screamed as Peter wriggled. The noise frightened Belle, who dashed out of the room and down the stairs. The girl stared at Peter in horror. Peter, with the threat of the cat gone, and in less of a state of panic, suddenly found himself able to transform into a human.

"Oh my god!" The girl screamed again. "What the hell ARE you?"

Peter gestured for her to be quiet and closed her door. 

"Please don't tell anyone what you just saw."

"But- but- but-"

"Please, calm down."

"You were a RAT! Now you're a human! And you're bleeding all over my carpet!"

Peter, having momentarily forgotten about the pain in the moment, put his hand to his side and winced, crying out slightly.

"Oh my god. Oh my god. Okay, I'm going to get my-" The girl made towards the door but Peter grabbed her ankle. 

"Don't. Don't tell anyone. Please."

"I have to, you're hurt-"

"It's not bad. Just get me out of here and I'll be fine. I promise."

"Oh my god. Okay. Um. Here, sit on this chair. Can you stand?"

"If you help me." Peter reached up with the arm that wasn't holding his side and the girl took it, pulling him up and helping him to take a seat. 

"Let me see." The girl said, crouching to move his hand and shirt away from his side. "Oh god, that's a lot of blood. Let me try and treat it, I think I can remember what to do." 

Peter laughed, then groaned.

"Shhhh." The girl said, then looked up at him. "What's your name?"

"Peter." Said Peter. "What's yours?"

"Eleanor." Said the girl. 

"Ellie?" Asked Peter.

"Eleanor." Repeated Eleanor. 

"Sorry." Peter apologised. 

"It's okay." Eleanor told him, standing. "I need to find you some bandages, and you need to lie down with a cushion under your back to elevate it."

"I don't think I can get down." Peter squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to process the pain. 

Eleanor was reaching up to grab a pillow from her bed. She tossed it onto the floor and then leant down towards Peter. 

"I'm going to lift you, okay?" She said, putting her hands through so that her elbows were under his arms.

"Okay." Peter grabbed onto her shoulders and braced himself.

"One, two, three." Eleanor strained to lift him as Peter cried out in pain and laid him down on the floor as gently as she could, slipping her arms out from under him and adjusting the pillow so that it was where it needed to be under his back.

"Merlin." Peter panted. "That hurt."

"Stay there." Eleanor was by the door now. "I'm going to get the first aid kit. If anyone comes in... let's hope nobody comes in."

"Well where else am I going to go?" Asked Peter, but Eleanor was gone. Moments later she was back with a green bag that had a white cross on it, a towel and a damp flannel.

"Here." She said, sitting next to him and folding the towel to place under his head. With the flannel she began to dab at the injury, gently cleaning away the blood until she could properly see it. "It's not as bad as it looked." Eleanor told him as she was unzipping the bag. She found a gauze and placed it carefully over the wound, making sure it was properly covering it. "This might hurt."

"Like it doesn't hurt already." Peter grumbled.

Unrolling a bandage, Eleanor wound it tightly around him, having to lift him to pass it under his back every time. "Sorry it's so tight. It needs to have pressure on it." She informed him. "Since it wasn't as bad as I first thought you can probably sit up now."

"Thanks." Peter grimaced and and reached up to her. She grabbed his hand and pulled him up, then slipped her arm under his and around his back to make sure he wouldn't fall. "Dare I ask... what time is it?"

Eleanor glanced at the clock on her desk. "5:30. Why?"

"Oh no." Peter went white. "My mum said I had to be back for six and it'll take forever with me like this."

"I'll come with you." Eleanor said, immediately. "Where do you live?"

"Paulers End." Peter told her, referring to the Hamlet next to this village.

"That's not far." Said Eleanor. "If we leave now we can make it."

"You don't have to come." Peter told her. "You've done enough for me."

"No, it's okay." Eleanor replied. "I'd rather know that you're safe at home than sit here worrying about whether or not you got back safe."

"Thank you." Peter said, relief audible in his voice. 

"The only problem is getting you out without being seen by my family." Eleanor pulled a face. "It'll look really suspicious if they see you leaving but didn't see you coming in. They'll think I was sneaking you in for... um..." She turned red.

Peter also turned red. "Yes. I know what you mean. Well... I could turn back into-"

"No." Eleanor cut him off. "The bandages might fall off, and it's not worth the risk of more injury. We'll have to walk out and hope they don't notice."

"Okay." Peter said. "If you're sure."

"It's so so risky." Eleanor informed him. "But it's the only choice." She took a couple of steps towards the door, opening it. "Wait a second. Just lean on the wall here, I have to hide this first aid kit and flannel and put the towel back."

She picked up the items and disappeared, reappearing in seconds. "Okay. Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be." Peter grimaced. "Let's go."

They wobbled out across the landing and down the stairs. Eleanor stopped at the bottom to put her shoes on whilst Peter stood by the front door, looking worried.

"Eleanor? Is that you, darling?" Asked her mother.

"Yes, Mam!" Eleanor called back. "I'm just going out for a quick walk. Is that okay?"

"I thought you had work to do?" Replied her Mam. 

"I do." Said Eleanor. "I just need some fresh air."

"Are you okay?" Her Mam asked, concerned, and upon hearing footsteps approaching in the lounge Eleanor shoved Peter into the corner, behind the coats hanging up, and stood in front of him to shield him from view.

"Fine." She said, trying to keep her voice level as her mother appeared. "I just want a break, I've been working all day."

"Alright." Said her Mam. "Just don't be too long, it's dinner soon."

"Thank you." Eleanor said, relieved as her mother disappeared again and she hissed to Peter. "Come on!" 

They quickly left the house and hobbled down to the end of the drive before turning the corner and getting out of view.

"Merlin. That was quick thinking there." Peter said, admiringly.

"Thanks." Eleanor grinned, as she helped him cross the road.

They chattered as they walked back to Peter's house, where they stopped and looked at each other awkwardly.

"Thank you for helping me." Said Peter. "And sorry for the whole rat thing."

"It's okay." Eleanor smiled. "I'm glad I could help. And I'm glad it was me that my cat brought you to."

Peter turned red again. "I'm glad it was too."

"Friends?" Eleanor asked shyly, holding out her hand.

"Friends." Peter said, shaking it and smiling. 

"I hope we see each other more often." Eleanor said, and Peter nodded eagerly.

Eleanor left with a huge grin on her face. 

Peter grinned until he remembered Hogwarts, and how could he be friends with a muggle girl when he was never home?

Peter hoped that he could make the most out of this holiday, and that Eleanor wouldn't forget him or think he was weird like most people at school.


End file.
